Sveti Stefan Apartment House & Spa, Bansko

Bansko on the Budget

Advantages: cheap, traditional Bulgarian culture and buildings, excellent ski school
Disadvantages: low altitude - though ski season usually runs from Dec - April

Bansko is in South West Bulgaria in the Pirin mountain region, a site protected by UNESCO. The transfer was just under 3 hours but it passed quickly both ways as the scenery is just so interesting. We were skiing for the second time. If it had been last year as complete beginners I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it quite so much, although the ski school is excellent. For under £100 you get your skis, boots, sticks, 6 day lift pass and 4 hours a day tuition in small groups. Advanced skiers claimed that the rating of the slopes is somewhat erratic. In fact they are in the process of re-rating all the slopes as at the moment some of the reds are more like blacks and some of the blues are more like reds. There are no greens, but a couple of great long ski roads so snow permitting you can ski right down to the bottom of the mountain ...

flickpugh 09.02.2004 (09.07.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Bansko

Bansko Review

Advantages: Great hotel, nice people, good runs, cheap.
Disadvantages: Food isn't fantastic, long wait for gondola if not out early enough.

Landed in Bansko on 24/01/09. Had a fantastic holiday! Excellent conditions, fantastic hotel (hotel Lion), nice people. Bansko is still under development so the town is still a bit of a building site. This didn't bother us as we were there to snowboard, not to admire the views from the hotel window. When we arrived it was raining in the town so we were quite concerned about the conditions. We soon figured out that when it was raining lower down it was snowing on the mountain (I don't know if this is the case all season but it was when we were there). Plenty of powder, awesome riding. I've seen too many people moaning about Bansko for petty reasons so I want to put the record straight. The only cons I think are worth mentioning are: 1. Get out early for the gondola or you could be in for a long wait 2. Some of the food isn ...

masonicboom 02.02.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Bansko

Full house for The Apartment

Advantages: Great story from team that made "Some Like It Hot"
Disadvantages: None - watch it

In ?The Apartment? Jack Lemmon plays hapless insurance clerk C.C.Baxter who works for a big, impersonal insurance company in New York. He made the mistake once of lending someone at work his apartment and now he has to lend it to department heads for their extra-marital affairs. He just can?t say no to and so spends many evenings at work and even a night in the park while they enjoy his apartment. It makes him the most sought after employee in the company and arouses the suspicion of HR boss (Fred MacMurray). Baxter thinks he?s for the high jump but instead finds himself promoted. You see, MacMurray?s also having an affair and needs an apartment. Baxter thinks he?s fallen on his feet jobwise and almost lands a date with Fran (Shirley MacLaine) the lift operator he has a crush on. It all goes wrong Christmas Eve though when he ...

filmlover 17.12.2004 · Read full review
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Review of The Apartment (DVD)